· Allies “entering a new world” in confronting Russia, U.K. official says

· Five myths about espionage

The Next Russian attack will be far worse than bots and trolls(Alina Polyakova, Lawfare) The disinformation tools used by Moscow against the West are still fairly basic: They rely on exploiting human gullibility, vulnerabilities in the social media ecosystem, and lack of awareness among the public, the media, and policymakers. In the very near term, however, technological advancements in artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities will open opportunities for malicious actors to undermine democracies more covertly and effectively than what we have seen so far. Increasingly sophisticated cybertools, tested primarily in Ukraine, have already infected Western systems, as evidenced by the DHS-FBI report. An all-out attack on Western critical infrastructure seems inevitable.

Russia’s been waging war on the West for years. We just haven’t noticed.(Max Boot, Washington Post) Russia has been waging war on the West for at least 10 years, and the West hasn’t bothered to notice. … The war arguably began in 2008 when Russia invaded Georgia … . Rather than punishing Vladimir Putin for his aggression, the Obama administration later responded with a ‘reset’ of relations. … Putin has little reason to fear retribution because he has suffered so little to date. … What would the West do if it were to get serious about Russian aggression? Putin and his cronies have billions of dollars stashed in the West. … Freeze the money. Seize the properties. Hurt them where it counts. The United States can also designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, just like North Korea, which also used a nerve agent for an assassination abroad. … Putin has already been kicked out of the Group of 8 gatherings; he can be removed from the G-20, too. Kick Russia out of the SWIFT system … . Invoke NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense clause. There is a rich menu of retaliatory options—none of which would risk a nuclear war in spite of Putin’s saber- rattling.